Speaking for FEATURE films only, be careful. Rights CHANGE. The standard studio libraries are relatively stable, but since none of them are EVER sold with PPR it may not matter much. If you need PPR/Streaming you just pretty much figure if it is Swank or Criterion Pictures USA. Foreign and Indie films are a NIGHTMARE. Companies go out of business and the rights are often entangled, most films are sold on 5 to 7 year basis to the distributor and at the end of the that period some are renewed and others either go into limbo or pass to another company. The biggest problem with the foreign and indie stuff is that PPR/Streaming rights for Universities are often left out of later contracts. Which means the company that releases the home DVD does not get them and you have to track them through sales agent/producer. My guess is that this MIGHT get a little easier as commercial streaming to individuals becomes more common, it may be more likely to get in the contract. Bottom line though is that feature films are going to be very difficult and updated on literally a weekly basis if you want to be accurate.
On Tue, Mar 23, 2010 at 8:02 AM, Andrews, Sarah E <[email protected]> wrote: > When I worked in Acquisitions, we did a similar project.� Some of the steps > are still being used for new materials. > > 1.� � � � � � � We checked the vendor’s websites when we had paid the > institutional price.� If we paid retail, I assumed no additional rights. > > 2.� � � � � � In some cases—with smaller vendors—I called them and got a > “blanket > statement” about their titles. > > 3.� � � � � � For the smallest companies—often self distributed—I contacted > the > producer/director via email to get written confirmation of our rights. > > 4.� � � � � � We had been saving license agreements for some time, and we > also > went through those files looking for information.� Invoices also provide > this information for some vendors.� As a state institution with a strict > audit trail, we had no trouble finding those documents. > > 5.� � � � � � Information about PPR was added to the 540 field in > bibliographic > records and made searchable to the public. > > 6.� � � � � � All the license agreements were scanned (including invoices > with > brief statements) and are available for library staff to view in case there > are questions about licenses, etc.� This ensures they don’t go missing. > > We had a very good, well-trained student work on the project and it took > 200-300 hours (NOT counting the scanning).� Because of the “overall value” > of her work to the University, she won a student service award. > > > > Good Luck! > Sarah Andrews > > Hardin Library for the Health Sciences > > University of Iowa > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues > relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, > preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and > related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective > working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication > between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and > distributors. > > VIDEOLIB is intended to encourage the broad and lively discussion of issues relating to the selection, evaluation, acquisition,bibliographic control, preservation, and use of current and evolving video formats in libraries and related institutions. It is hoped that the list will serve as an effective working tool for video librarians, as well as a channel of communication between libraries,educational institutions, and video producers and distributors.
